Scholars@Duke
Joellen Martha Schildkraut

Joellen Martha Schildkraut

Professor Emeritus in Family Medicine and Community Health
Family Medicine and Community Health, Prevention Research
joellen.schildkraut@duke.edu
Box 2715 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27705
6036 Hock Plaza, 2424 Erwin Road, Durham, NC 27705

Overview

Dr. Schildkraut is an epidemiologist whose research includes the molecular epidemiology of ovarian, breast and brain cancers. Dr. Schildkraut's research interests include the study of the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. She is currently involved in a large study of genome wide association and ovarian cancer risk and survival. Some of her work is also focused on particular genetic pathways including the DNA repair and apoptosis pathways. She currently leads a study of African American women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is also collaborating in a large a case-control study of meningioma risk factors and with which a genome wide association analysis is about to commence.

Current Appointments & Affiliations

Professor Emeritus in Family Medicine and Community Health · 2015 - Present Family Medicine and Community Health, Prevention Research, Family Medicine and Community Health

Recent Publications

Bayesian multi-cell type models for the analysis of complex immune cell populations with application to ovarian cancer.

Journal Article Brief Bioinform · January 7, 2026 To understand how the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) impacts clinical outcomes and treatment response, researchers have been leveraging single-cell protein multiplex imaging techniques. These technologies measure multiple protein markers simultaneous ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of non-prescription analgesic medications and survival among Black women with ovarian cancer.

Journal Article Br J Cancer · January 2026 BACKGROUND: Chronic inflammation and inflammatory-related exposures have been implicated in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) prognosis. However, no studies have evaluated whether analgesic medication use impacts survival in Black women with EOC, an understu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Neighborhood disorder and ovarian cancer survival in Black women.

Journal Article Am J Epidemiol · December 2, 2025 Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality among women in the US. Black women experience significantly lower OC survival than White women. Evidence suggests that this disparity is not solely the result of barriers to healthcare acce ... Full text Link to item Cite
View All Publications

Recent Grants

Epidemiologic factors and survival by molecular subtypes of ovarian cancer

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center · 2013 - 2017

Research Training In Neuro-Oncology

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 1998 - 2016

Integrating Population and Basic Science in Cancer Research

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2009 - 2015

View All Grants

Education

Yale University · 1987 Ph.D.
Yale University · 1982 M.P.H.